Tuna crudo with truffle oil and popped wild rice

A super easy yet fabulously impressive appetizer!

Don’t you think ‘crudo’ sounds so much more fancy than ‘raw’? However you say it, thinly sliced tuna that’s dressed up with just a few accents is ridiculously delicious. It’s one of the dishes I have whenever I visit Supply and Demand, whose version I have recreated here with the help of my trusty fishmonger whom I rely upon for top quality products. On my most recent restaurant visit to learn more about the work of Transparent Kitchen, the lightly-dressed tuna had cilantro microgreens scattered on top and they added a fantastic pop of flavour; for my make-at-home version, I bought a container of Butterfly Sky Farms’ spicy microgreens and thought they tasted superb. And if you don’t already own some, truffle oil is available at lots of specialty food shops and it’s worth the splurge. It’s so versatile (I drizzle it on omelets, grilled vegetables, fish and more) and gives a subtle, earthy flavour that’s really appealing. I highly recommend taking the two minutes (yes, that’s really all it takes) to pop some wild rice – it provides a fantastic textural contrast in this dish and once you taste this treat, you’ll be finding all sorts of uses (garnishing salads and soups in particular) for this crunch treat. If you’re a big fan of full-flavour recipes, I’d also recommend checking out my version of Supply and Demand’s terrific kale salad with caper vinaigrette.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces (115 grams) sushi grade yellowfin or ahi tuna
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) popped wild rice (see below)
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) truffle oil
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) microgreens
• few pinches Maldon salt

Method

• Slice the tuna into 1/4 inch (.6 cm) slices and lay them out on a plate. Refrigerate for up to 6 hours until ready to garnish (cover if refrigerating for more than 15 minutes).
• Pop the wild rice by putting 1/2 teaspoon (1.25 mL) of canola or vegetable oil in the bottom of a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and swirl it a few times as the oil heats up, to evenly coat the bottom. Add 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of wild rice. Cover the pot and reduce heat to medium; swirl or shake gently to coat the rice with oil. You will hear it crackling and popping within a few seconds. Keep shaking and remove the pot from the heat as soon as the popping slows down (about one minute). Immediately transfer the popped rice to a small bowl and sprinkle with a bit of salt.
• When ready to assemble the dish, whisk together the lemon juice and truffle oil in a small bowl. Drizzle over the tuna slices.
• Scatter the popped rice and microgreens over top of the tuna and finish with a few pinches of Maldon salt. Serve immediately.

Serves 2 as an appetizer.